Northern Rivers young guns targeted by Gold Coast

GOLD Coast rugby league club football manager Scott Sattler is on the hunt ? on the hunt for talented young players he thinks have the potential to make it in the NRL when the Gold Coast re-launches its team in 2007.

And he's identified the Northern Rivers Under-18s side as one of his prime hunting grounds.

The Northern Rivers Under-18s won the NSW Country Divisional Championships in May and Sattler, who was at the Ballina Rugby League Club yesterday for a sportsmens luncheon along with Gold Coast general manager Michael Searle, believes many of that team have the skill to go further in the game.

"The Northern Rivers is one of our most important areas," Sattler said. "Football is about taking opportunities.

"We're going to offer some opportunities to some of these players."

The former premiership winning lock with Penrith said the new Gold Coast franchise was interested in about 15 or 16 players from the area.